Having been born into this place of karma,
why not opt for planting virtuous seeds?
--Mipham Rinpoche
Even small virtues and faults can have extensive results.
Having been born into this place of karma, why not opt for planting virtuous seeds? --Mipham Rinpoche All sentient beings
are essentially Buddhas. Just as there is no ice without water, without sentient beings, there are no Buddhas. —Hakuin Zenji The mind can turn a confused life into one of wisdom; ignorant behavior into sensible demeanor. - Hsing Yun
. . . that no unfortunate events came into your life. You didn’t become unemployed, like many others. You didn’t get sick, like many others. You didn’t lose good friends over political differences, like many others. You didn’t get a diagnoses of a life threatening illness, like many others. You don’t live in a war zone, like many others. You are not starving and suffering from famine, like many others. . . . be grateful ‘nothing happened’! - Victor M. Parachin “These two people are hard to find in the world. Which two? The one who is first to do a kindness, and the one who is grateful and thankful for a kindness done.” - Buddha Anguttara Nikaya (AN 2:118). Commenting on this teaching, Thanassaro Bhikkhu, abbot of the Metta Forest Monastery in San Diego County writes: “In saying that kind and grateful people are rare, the Buddha isn’t simply stating a harsh truth about the human race. He’s advising you to treasure these people when you find them, and—more importantly—showing how you can become a rare person yourself.”
In the middle way, there is no reference point. The mind with no reference point does not resolve itself, does not fixate or grasp. - Pema Chodron
When you get up in the morning, you have two choices - either to be happy or to be unhappy. Just choose to be happy – Norman Vincent Peale
If you free yourself from the need to find happiness, you will find that it was already there. - Gelong Thubten
Moral courage is rare and moral greatness even rarer. It requires a mysterious and potent combination of empathy, will and deep conviction that social norms cannot shake. - David Wolpe
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Victor M. Parachin ...is aVedic educator, yoga instructor, Buddhist meditation teacher and author of a dozen books. Buy his books at amazon or your local bookstore. Archives
October 2024
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